This invention relates to a piezoelectric sensor system for measuring the magnitude of a force exerted on an object.
There have been proposed various kinds of sensor devices for sensing a magnitude of force or a pressure. One example of such sensor devices is a piezoelectric transducer which converts a force exerted thereon into an electric signal such as a voltage. However, this type of piezoelectric transducer is sensitive only to relatively large forces and can not be used to measure small forces, for example, between 0 and 25 N (Newton). Another example of the conventional sensor devices is a semiconductor-type pressure sensor formed in an integrated circuit. However, such semiconductor-type pressure sensor is liable to be adversely affected by the surroundings such as the ambient temperature and can not therefore be used in an environment where the temperature is very high or where a corrosive gas exists.